Hello Insano-wrimo-ers. It is about time that your friendly neighborhood Co-ML wrote her introduction letter. At long last I have official ML status (w00t). Jami took care of a lot of the official ML business inher letter, so I get to do some of the fun stuff (though I do not know if she intended it like that or not. But I will use it to me advantage. Bwahahahahah) I thought I would talk about some aspects of winning at nano. Since I know we all want to. And it seems that we have a lot of newbies here. I do not have a lot of experience, this will be my third year. I epic failed the first year, coming in at a stellar 22k (what – that’s not so bad you might think) and won last year with an official work count of something like 75k. So I know how to win. And I know how to loose. This year who knows. The boss and graduate school and PhD candidacy are all on cahoots on how to make me fail at nano. But I will give it a valiant effort. With a tried and true story idea of mine.
I think, personally, that Nano will be difficult if this is your first adventure into writing. Or if you write a lot of drabbles and short stories. But here are my tips.
1) OUTLINE. And outline more than you think you will need. I ran out of outline about 10 days into nano and nearly panicked. What – how did I write to much already??!?!?1 It was a bit of a predicament. So outline more than you think you will need if it is a multi part story, or outline the entire novel. You don’t want to break stride and have to pause to plan things. I know everyone’s writing is different, but I don’t profile my characters. They seem to develop well enough on their own. Outline what you need, but really, outline.
2) The alternative to outlining. Have one fantastic character whose story is ready to burst forth. And so with it. I cannot work like that, but I know that others do.
3) Nano is a wonderful time to see what you are capable of, but don’t try and change genres. I did that the first year. And that is why I got stuck. If you write fantasy, don’t try to switch to horror, or scifi or romance. It probably wont work. Maybe fantasy to urban fantasy, but write what you know. This is about producing many many words in a short amount of time. It is easier if you stick with the familiar.
4) Own your idea. If you are wishy washy about the idea, it will be harder to live and breath it for 30 days and 30 nights of literary abandon
5) Try to stay ahead of the curve. Maybe not on the daily word count, but at least for the end of week goals. If you get behind, it just seems to be insurmountable. If you are even, or ahead, nano is a lot more fun.
6) Come to events. We are nice people. Some people can win at nano as a lone solitary island of nano participantship, but what fun is that? We are a support group, and a brainstorming group, and just cool people. And really, it was due to a group of nanoers that I got some of the names for my nano last year. And some of the names I even kept. Asligarh is such a good name ☺
7) Sometime or other there will probably be a thread wherein we divulge the secret screen names and do nanochat. JOIN IT!. Word wars occur there and in the write ins. Word wards are fantastic ways to boost your word count. Especially when you realize that your buddy/competitor wrote five more words than you in that 10 minutes and that is just not acceptable.
8) Routines are your friend. Or at least my friend. Try to write at the same time each day. That way you know that is is always nano time during those times.
9) have fun. this is about having fun, challenging yourself, and creating something in a month that most people never create ever. So enjoy yourself. We are all winners here, cause we rock for trying this, but some of us just get completion certificates at the end.
10) Remember that your muse has a pet plot bunny. Embrace where they lead. The road that your characters try to take will probably deviate from the outline, but that will lead to some unexpected awesomeness.
I think that is about it for now. Let me know if you need anything. Contact me any way you need to, through the ML email or PM me or something. I will try to help as best I can.
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50,002 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 12 40
The Tiffy is wise. Personally, I take some of this advice, and completely go against other parts. I do 2 with just a dash of 1, sometimes a bit of 3 (Though I consider my genres fluid as is, so to me, the only difference between my usual fantasy and science fiction is that the "magic" has a technological explaination. And I get to toss in cool sounding technobabble).
4 is TOTALLY true in my experience. The times I've won at Nano, I've been obsessed with my idea. The more excited you are, the easier it is to sit down and write it.. If you're bored with it, then you're not going to want to do it, and your word count is going to suffer for it.
5. SOOoooooooo totally true. Seriously. The first week or so? Get as FAR AHEAD as possible! You may not think that an extra 5k at that point will make any difference, but it helps to have as much of an advantage as you can get early on. It always gets more mentally difficult as the month goes on.
6.Seriously. We don't bite, much. ;) Really though, some of my best friends have come from Nano. Heck, I wouldn't have met Emily if it weren't for Nano (in a roundabout way... Nano got me into really writing, and that got me into another writers website, and I met her through a friend from that group).
7.Thread is up. XD I will add anyone who posts their SN there when I get a chance, as I tend to get pulled in by others, or I will make a InSANowrimo room for us to use as well if there's desire for it. WARNING: Those chats aren't always all ages friendly, and I do NOT moderate the content in those. Enter at your own risk. ;)
8. It seems silly, but I tend to do two things. When I have a set schedule beyond my control (IE: I work a day job and have no control over my schedule there), I make myself bring something to write with on breaks, even if it's just a pad of paper and a pen or three. Those little bits of time, even a hundred words on part of your lunch break, can add up.
And that's all the random chatter I have to add to this. XD
*grins* This is what happens when I'm at work and waiting on other people to finish. :-P
114,204 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 15 34
That, and some of us are just competitive and like to get ahead early. ;)
Sticky-note origami! (I've been working away from my normal desk, with no email access at the other desk...but lots of sticky notes. They get folded into odd shapes in my pockets and I have a collection of them...
(Just adding to the random chatter collection. Since I have to go to choir practice in 10 minutes, and I'm supposed to be outlining and all. And transcribing my sticky note of the day.)
50,002 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 16 15
See, my only problem with sticky notes? I never can find them when I want them. XD I still have some with random lines I need to use from when I did a temp job in, what, April? grading standardized tests from AR. Seriously, some of these lines are GORGEOUS. And the posties live in my denim jacket. XD
Random chatter is good. I like random chatter. You guys can make entire new threads dedicated to random chatter. It's amusing. And that's what the forum is here for. XD
114,204 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 17 46
The funny thing about the sticky notes is, often I don't look at them again. But writing something down seems to stick it in my head so I remember it later.
Mine mostly live in an empty CD box in my bedroom, but also in my purse and random pockets, and I think there's one in the cup-holder in my car!
50,002 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 17 59
hehe. I tend to see them and go, "Oh, yeah, I should (download that band/write that story idea out/call them, whatever)." and then go about my day and 2 minutes later forget about it. It's like when I lose at The Game...
50,330 / 50,000
oct. 9, 2008 - 11 33
On sticky notes: I have the desk in the dorm room that has a giant shelf over it. At the beginning of the semester I bought a pad of huge pink sticky notes; currently, two are stuck to the shelf edge with notes on them for different stories. XD I got into the habit of doing that last semester, when I was doing it for a paper I was writing for class. Greatest. Idea. Ever.
- Cris -
51,240 / 50,000
oct. 12, 2008 - 13 08
I swear that I wrote nearly a quarter of my novel last year on sheets of typing paper that I folded up and carried around in my shirt pocket with a pen. I wouldn't even go to the bathroom without them. I really don't think I would have finished if I hadn't snatched every moment of free time. I've already bought a fat little spiral notebook that will just fit in my pocket and a set of fat little pens that are comfortable to write with. I'm forcing myself not to touch them until Nov.
Even if you're not actually writing every moment, just constantly thinking about the story will prime the creative pump for when you have a chance to get at the computer.
http://ja.partridgez.com
2007: A Kingdom of Stone (part 1) 51,134
2008: A Kingdom of stone (part 2) ?
50,103 / 50,000
oct. 12, 2008 - 18 43
If i could get away with that during work I would be a MUCh happier Tiffy. But I am restricted to writing only during the hours of not at work. Which is not a lot. November is also National Sleep Deprivation Month, I think.
50,188 / 50,000
oct. 13, 2008 - 17 02
Hi! New here!
NaNo: Now sponsored by coffee! :D
Ooooh, outlining... that thing that doomed my original novel in both '06 and '07. And each year I thought it was the best idea ever. *shakes head at self* So this year I just waited until a character mugged me for attention and now I have to beat them off for another half a month. And if you love the character it does make this so much easier. My '06 MC was basically me in some ways. It was urban fantasy, but he worked at the same sort of place I did, he drove the same sort of car so I would know how the thing would break down, and I'm sure everyone gets the picture. When I got stuck, I drew words out of a dictionary and or random association. That's how I got zombie pigeons.
It helps to get a friend who types fast and try to stay ahead of them. I didn't manage, but man, that was awesome for my word counts.